Creating a fabulous dinner takes a lot of planning and effort beforehand, as well as understanding the needs of your guests, planning a wonderful dinner, and of course, getting good comments from your guests. This article sets out the basics to get you started. Also, in this article there will be some good ideas for more experienced people.

Follow these steps to create the best dinner party possible. Also, all of this info below can occur during breakfast/lunch, but different foods would be reasonable for that type of occasion. So, read away!

Steps

1

Start by taking a survey of the people you're having over for dinner. Ask about their favorite food. You can call them up a week or so before and ask if they have any dietary issues or concerns that you need to allow for. Note these down very carefully. Ask them if you are unsure of where to purchase unusual ingredients if they do require something unique. Also, if you feel that your guests might not like what you had in mind, try cooking something that you like, and what some of the people you invited like.

2

The most popular types of dinner parties are holiday parties. The main holidays that people have big feasts on are: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and in the Jewish Religion, Passover and Hanukkah. These are very big holidays to some people and the stores are usually crowded during these times. Step #7 tells you that you can place food orders in advance so you have time to get the food before your big party.

3

If this is your first time having a big dinner party, it is a good idea to keep the amount of people you are having over for dinner at a low level. A good amount of people to invite over would be 2-4 people. If you are more experienced with this type of thing, you could try inviting over 4-6 people or even 8-10 people. This includes inviting over little children and/or teenagers. This may make even a low amount of guests hard to handle.

4

Be aware that if you have invited children of any age, they may not act as mannerly as adults do. (This is true with most kids, especially kids 12 and under.) If you call up your guests a week or so earlier than the actual dinner, if they have kids and their kids are coming, remind them to tell their children to be on their best behavior. Expect for children get out of control at the dinner party (kids will be kids!). You could ask them to stop and make sure their parent/guardian takes care of them. But remember to be patient - it just makes it awkward if you are trying to parent others' children! If possible, if your guests have children 10 and up, you would have a better chance of watching them behave at the dinner party than younger kids.

5

Some little babies and toddlers might end up coming to your dinner party too. Ask the guardian of the babies about what they should have to eat and what they prefer sitting in. If your guest doesn't bring a bib for them, find and give them one yourself. This will help keep your tablecloth clean. Make sure to have their parent/guardian sitting next to them in case of an emergency or if the baby/toddler starts to cry. Also, remind the guardians of babies/toddlers to maybe just in case bring some extra diapers if the baby goes in his/her diaper. No one will want a stinky diaper near them while eating dinner!

6

Clean your house well. Scrub the floors and windows, polish special items, dust different rooms, burn scented candles to make rooms smell nice and vacuum the place. Prepare rooms that your guests will walk in, especially the bathrooms. Provide fresh rolls of toilet paper, clean hand towels and washcloths, and soaps. Freshen up the bathroom air with scented sprays, candles, or containers with potpourri in them.

7

Buy the food or ingredients. If you buy locally, you are assured of the freshest possible produce and good quality. You can also place orders in advance in case you are worried that the butcher, grocer, or produce department might not have what you need on the day of your dinner. Also look ahead into a recipe book or booklet for some ideas and inspirations.

8

If you are not good at cooking, you can try hiring a chef or a good cook to do the cooking for you. It may cost a lot of money, but you will be assured the food will be prepared pleasingly. You can also try to find the food you are making already boxed and ready to eat at the supermarket. If you are making things like salads, then you can try to find that specific food prepackaged at the supermarket. Check packages of prepared foods for storage and preparation instructions.

9

Add side dishes to the dinner such as bread, corn, rice, peas, any vegetable or salad. Side dishes are important because they allow people to make up their own minds how much food will satisfy them for the evening, without having to look greedy or like they are refusing your cooking.

10

Cook a delicious meal that has a good taste and that is very common to most people. Some good foods to consider are different types of meat, chicken, turkey and/or beef. You can also try making a nice pasta dish with or without red pasta sauce. You could also make spaghetti, lasagna, ravioli or a special kind of soup such as tomato, chicken noodle, or cream of mushroom soup.

11

Set the table with your best tablecloth and set the table nicely. Always use your best linen, your best cutlery (polish it up if needed, as this can look awful if tarnished) and use your best dinner set. Make sure the seats are comfortable, and remember to put small round pads under the legs of the chairs.

12

Be as polite as you can be. Put your napkin in your lap and don't burp. Say please and thank-you. Act excited about having guests over to your house. Also, do not swear or use any foul language, especially if you have invited children. One of the most important things to remember at the big meal is to always serve the next course when everyone has eaten what has satisfied them from the present course. Don't wait until the last minute to serve the next course, the guests may feel less entertained when no food is in front of them. You should serve them the next course without them having to ask for it.

13

Serve assorted drinks such as wine, water, milk, beer, tea, or iced tea. Avoid soda because soda can make you burp a lot in which is extremely rude. Try adding some ice into your water and a lemon into your tea and/or iced tea. Prepare the tea the way your guests like it if you are able make it their way.

14

Put condiments such as salt, pepper, butter, etc. on the food or on the table. These sorts of food accompaniments should be available without guests having to ask for them. Other possibilities may be sauces, gravies, cheeses, or even ketchup.

15

Make a special dessert. This is the time to try out that special recipe you have wanted to make for ages but didn't have a special occasion for. Splurge and make it rich, delicious and "to die for". A good dessert would be a scrumptious chocolate cake or brownies. Some fruit salad may be good with oranges, apples, bananas and/or strawberries. Try looking in a recipe book or asking someone for some other recipes you can try for dessert.